Et álibi aliórum plurimórum sanctórum Mártyrum et Confessórum, atque sanctárum Vírginum.
And elsewhere in divers places, many other holy martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins.
Пресвятая Богородице спаси нас!  (Santíssima Mãe de Deus, salva-nos!)
RDeo grátias. R.  Thanks be to God.

February is dedicated to the Holy Family
since the 17th century and
by Copts from early times.
 

http://www.haitian-childrens-fund.org/

For the Son of man ... will repay every man for what he has done.

Scapular of the Sacred Heart that Estelle saw worn by the Virgin Mary

Genesis 6:5-8; 7:1-5, 10 ; 65 The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the ground, man and beast and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them." 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. 71 Then the LORD said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. 2 Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and his mate; and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate; 3 and seven pairs of the birds of the air also, male and female, to keep their kind alive upon the face of all the earth. 4 For in seven days I will send rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground." 5 And Noah did all that the LORD had commanded him. 10 And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth. 

Psalms 29:1-4, 3, 9-10 ; 1 Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. 2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory of his name; worship the LORD in holy array. 3 The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD, upon many waters. 4 The voice of the LORD is powerful, the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. 9 The voice of the LORD makes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forests bare; and in his temple all cry, "Glory!" 10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as king for ever.

Mark 8:14-21 ; 14 Now they had forgotten to bring bread; and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." 16 And they discussed it with one another, saying, "We have no bread." 17 And being aware of it, Jesus said to them, "Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" They said to him, "Twelve." 20 " And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" And they said to him, "Seven." 21 And he said to them, "Do you not yet understand?"


The saints are a “cloud of witnesses over our head”,
showing us that a life of Christian perfection is not impossible.


We are the defenders of true freedom.
  May our witness unveil the deception of the "pro-choice" slogan.
40 days for Life Campaign saves lives Shawn Carney Campaign Director www.40daysforlife.com
Please help save the unborn they are the future for the world

Mary Mother of GOD 15 Promises of the Virgin Mary to those who recite the Rosary

Our Bartholomew Family Prayer List
Joyful Mystery on Monday Saturday   Glorius Mystery on Sunday Wednesday
   Sorrowful Mystery on Friday Tuesday   Luminous Mystery on Thursday Veterens of War

Acts of the Apostles

Nine First Fridays Devotion to the Sacred Heart From the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
How do I start the Five First Saturdays?
Mary Mother of GOD 15 Promises of the Virgin Mary to those who recite the Rosary


My God, I believe, I adore, I trust and I love Thee.  I beg pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not love Thee.  O most Holy trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly.
 I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the Tabernacles of the world,  in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference by which He is offended,
and by the infite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

I beg the conversion of poor sinners,  Amen Fatima Prayer, Angel of Peace
Mary's Divine Motherhood
Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI { 2013 } Catholic Church In China { article here}
1648 to1930 St. Augustine Zhao Rong and 120 Companions Christianity arrived in China by way of Syria -- 600s.
        Depending on China's relations with outside world,
Christianity for centuries was free to grow or forced to operate secretly.

How do I start the Five First Saturdays? 
Called in the Gospel “the Mother of Jesus,” Mary is acclaimed by Elizabeth, at the prompting of the Spirit and even before the birth of her son, as “the Mother of my Lord” (Lk 1:43; Jn 2:1; 19:25; cf. Mt 13:55; et al.). In fact, the One whom she conceived as man by the Holy Spirit, who truly became her Son according to the flesh, was none other than the Father's eternal Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity. Hence the Church confesses that Mary is truly Mother of God (Theotokos). 
Catechism of the Catholic Church 495, quoting the Council of Ephesus (431): DS 251.
“The Blessed Virgin was eternally predestined, in conjunction with the incarnation of the divine Word, to be the Mother of God. By decree of divine Providence, she served on earth as the loving mother of the divine Redeemer, an associate of unique nobility, and the Lord's humble handmaid. She conceived, brought forth, and nourished Christ.”

February 19 – 4th apparition of Lourdes (France)
The apparitions of Pellevoisin continue (France, 1876)  
 She wrote a letter to the Virgin Mary
In 1875, a 32-year-old woman from Pellevoisin (central France) named Estelle Faguette, was suffering from an incurable illness. She wrote a letter to Mary, with a child's heart and great confidence, in which she asked her to intercede with her divine Son for her recovery, so she would be able to financially support her elderly parents.
Mary answered this letter by fifteen apparitions, from February to December 1876, during which she educated Estelle in holiness and issued a message of mercy.
On February 19, 1876, Estelle was fully healed. In 1877, the Archbishop of Bourges allowed public devotion to Our Lady of Pellevoisin, and Estelle’s bedroom was transformed into a chapel.
In April 1900, Pope Leo XIII formally recognized the Scapular of the Sacred Heart that Estelle saw worn by the Virgin Mary, and encouraged all the faithful who wished to wear it.
Estelle’s healing was officially declared miraculous in 1983 by Bishop Vignancour, then Archbishop of Bourges.
www.pellevoisin.net


February 19 – 4th apparition of Lourdes – The rest of the apparitions in Pellevoisin (1876)   
 
“I am all-merciful”
The Shrine of Our Lady of Mercy in Pellevoisin (department of Indre, France), was built after the apparitions of the Virgin to Estelle Faguette. From 1875, the Blessed Virgin appeared to her 15 times, teaching her and healing her when she was at death's door.
During her third apparition, the Virgin said of herself: "I am all merciful," showing Estelle her infinite mercy and all the love of her divine Son for repentant sinners. Mary then revealed her most precious possession: the Sacred Heart of her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed the Heart of Jesus is inextricably linked to that of his Mother.
Our Lady presented the Scapular of the Sacred Heart to Estelle Faguette.
"The scapular is the Heart of Jesus that dresses the heart of Mary. This is why Our Lady of Mercy of Pellevoisin is connected to the devotion to the Sacred Heart radiating from Paray-le-Monial."
 pelerinagesdefrance.fr



SCRIPTURE There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table.
Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, "Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire." But Abraham replied, "Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.
"And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us." -- Luke 16:19-31

With those who are perfect and walk with simplicity, there is nothing small and contemptible, if it be a thing that pleases God;
 for the pleasure of God is the object at which alone they aim, and which is the reason, the measure, and the reward of all their occupations, actions, and plans; and so, in whatever they find this, it is for them a great and important thing.
-- St. Alphonsus Rodriguez


Mary's Divine Motherhood
1st v St. Auxibius Bishop  baptized a Christian by St. Mark ordained by St. Paul 1st century
 Solis, in Cypro, sancti Auxíbii Epíscopi.

Saint Bernadette's Silence (II) February 19 - 4th Apparition in Lourdes (France, 1858)  
Bernadette left home in a peaceful and quiet mood on Friday the 19th for the fourth apparition.
This time, she was obliged to bring some family members.
Her aunt Bernarde said, "You need to take some blessed object." And Bernadette requested her to ask Aunt Lucile for her special congregational candle. This is the same candle she took along with her until March 3rd.
Adapted from Father René Laurentin, Bernadette vous parle (Bernadette Speaks), Mediaspaul, 1972, p. 51

Forgiveness Sunday Mark 6:14-15
1st v St. Auxibius Bishop  baptized a Christian by St. Mark ordained by St. Paul 1st century
295 Gabinus of Rome Pope Caius brother father of Saint Suzanne M (RM)
      In Africa sanctórum Mártyrum Públii, Juliáni, Marcélli et aliórum.
304 St. Zambdas 37th Bishop of Jerusalem martyred
441 Mesrob the Teacher  government official in Armenia Georgia translation of the Bible B (AC)
450 St. Valerius Bishop of Antibes, France
452 St. Odran  Martyr in place of St. Patrick
509 Martyrs of Palestine Saracen tribes under Persian rule (RM)   In Palæstína commemorátio sanctórum
      Monachórum, et aliórum Mártyrum, qui a Saracénis, sub Duce Alamúndaro, ob Christi fidem, sævíssime cæsi sunt
682 St. Barbatus Bishop Benevento innocence, simplicity, and purity of heart
690 Mansuetus of Milan treatise against the Monothelites B (RM) Born in Rome  
798 St. Beatus Monk author foe Adoptionist heresy foe commentary on the book of Revelation
884 George of Lodève, OSB (AC) Born at Rodez, Spain
11th v Neápoli, in Campánia, sancti Quod-vult-Deus, Carthaginénsis Epíscopi, qui, una cum Clero, a Rege Ariáno Genseríco in fractas et absque remígiis ac velis naves impósitus, præter spem Neápolim áppulit, ibíque, in exsílio pósitus, Conféssor occúbuit.
1135 St. Belina Virgin martyr of Troyes, France died in defense of her virginity
1265 St. Boniface of Lausanne Bishop publicly scolded emperor local clergy for corruption
1350 St. Conrad of Piacenza reputation for holiness
1400 + St. Alvarez confessor Queen Catherine adviser tutor King John II teaching preaching asceticism holiness
1862  Bl. Lucy Martyr of China Catholic schoolteacher
 Neápoli, in Campánia, sancti Quod-vult-Deus, Carthaginénsis Epíscopi, qui, una cum Clero, a Rege Ariáno Genseríco in fractas et absque remígiis ac velis naves impósitus, præter spem Neápolim áppulit, ibíque, in exsílio pósitus, Conféssor occúbuit.
 
11th v Neápoli, in Campánia,     At Naples in Campania, St. Quodvultdeus, bishop of Carthage.  The Arian king Genseric placed him together with his clergy into boats which were broken and without oars and sails, but they unexpectedly reached Naples.  He died in exile as a confessor.
Christ said his coming would bring not peace but a sword (see Matthew 10:34).
The Gospels offer no support for us if we fantasize about a sunlit holiness that knows no problems.

Christ did not escape at the last moment, though he did live happily ever after —
after a life of controversy, problems, pain and frustration.
"All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord;
and all the families of the nations shall worship before him"
(Psalm 21:28)

Forgiveness Sunday Mark 6:14-15
In the Orthodox Church, the last Sunday before Great Lent - the day on which, at Vespers, Lent is liturgically announced and inaugurated - is called Forgiveness Sunday. On the morning of that Sunday, at the Divine Liturgy, we hear the words of Christ:
"If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses…" (Mark 6:14-15).

Then after Vespers - after hearing the announcement of Lent in the Great Prokeimenon": Turn not away Thy face from Thy child, for I am afflicted! Hear me speedily! Draw near unto my soul and deliver it!", after making our entrance into Lenten worship, with its special melodies, with the prayer of St Ephraim the Syrian, with its prostrations - we ask forgiveness from each other, we perform the rite of forgiveness and reconciliation. And as we approach each other with words of reconciliation, the choir intones the Paschal hymns, filling the church with the anticipation of Paschal joy.

What is the meaning of this rite? Why is it that the Church wants us to begin the Lenten season with forgiveness and reconciliation? These questions are in order because for too many people Lent means primarily, and almost exclusively, a change of diet, the compliance with ecclesiastical regulations concerning fasting. They understand fasting as an end in itself, as a "good deed" required by God and carrying in itself its merit and its reward. But the Church spares no effort in revealing to us that fasting is but a means, one among many, towards a higher goal: the spiritual renewal of man, his return to God, true repentance and, therefore, true reconciliation. The Church spares no effort in warning us against a hypocritical and pharisaic fasting, against the reduction of religion to mere external obligations. As a Lenten hymn says:

"In vain do you rejoice in not eating, O soul! For you abstain from food, But from passions you are not purified. If you persevere in sin, you will perform a useless fast!"

Now, forgiveness stands at the very center of Christian faith and of Christian life because Christianity itself is, above all, the religion of forgiveness. God forgives us, and His forgiveness is in Christ, His Son, whom He sends to us so that by sharing in His humanity we may share in His love and be truly reconciled with God. Indeed, Christianity has no other content but love. And it is primarily the renewal of that love, a growth in it, that we seek in Great Lent, in fasting and prayer, in the entire spirit and the entire effort of that season. Thus, truly forgiveness is both the beginning of, and the proper condition for, the Lenten season.

One may ask, however: Why should I perform this rite when I have no "enemies?" Why should I ask forgiveness from people who have done nothing to me, and whom I hardly know? To ask these questions is to misunderstand the Orthodox teaching concerning forgiveness. It is true that open enmity, personal hatred, real animosity may be absent from our life, though if we experience them, it may be easier for us to repent, for these feelings openly contradict Divine commandments. But the Church reveals to us that there are much subtler ways of offending Divine Love. These are indifference, selfishness, lack of interest in other people, of any real concern for them - in short, that wall which we usually erect around ourselves, thinking that by being "polite" and "friendly" we fulfill God's commandments. The rite of forgiveness is so important precisely because it makes us realize - be it only for one minute - that our entire relationship to other men is wrong, makes us experience that encounter of one child of God with another, of one person created by God with another, makes us feel that mutual "recognition" which is so terribly lacking in our cold and dehumanized world.

On that unique evening, listening to the joyful Paschal hymns we are called to make a spiritual discovery: to taste of another mode of life and relationship with people, of life whose essence is love. We can discover that always and everywhere Christ, the Divine Love Himself, stands in the midst of us, transforming our mutual alienation into brotherhood. As I advance towards the other, as the other comes to me - we begin to realize that it is Christ who brings us together by His love for both of us.

And because we make this discovery - and because this discovery is that of the Kingdom of God itself: the Kingdom of Peace and Love, of reconciliation with God and, in Him, with all that exists - we hear the hymns of that Feast, which once a year "opens to us the doors of Paradise." We know why we shall fast and pray, what we shall seek during the long Lenten pilgrimage.

Forgiveness Sunday: the day on which we acquire the power to make our fasting - true fasting; our effort - true effort; our reconciliation with God - true reconciliation.  - Father Alexander Schmemann
1st v St. Auxibius Bishop  baptized a Christian by St. Mark ordained by St. Paul 1st century
 Solis, in Cypro, sancti Auxíbii Epíscopi.       At Soli in Cyprus, St. Auxibius, bishop.

Auxibius was baptized a Christian by St. Mark. St. Paul appointed him the bishop of Soli, on Cyprus.

Auxibius of Cyprus B (RM) 1st century. It is said that Saint Auxibius was baptized by Saint Mark and consecrated by Saint Paul as the first bishop of Soli, Cyprus (Benedictines).
295 Gabinus of Rome Pope Caius brother father of Saint Suzanne M (RM)
 Romæ natális sancti Gabíni, Presbyteri et Mártyris, qui fuit frater beáti Caji Papæ, atque, a Diocletiáno diu in custódia vínculis afflíctus, pretiósa morte sibi cæli gáudia comparávit.
     
At Rome, the birthday of St. Gavinus, priest and martyr, brother of blessed Pope Caius.  After being chained in prison for a long time by Diocletian, he obtained the joys of heaven by his esteemed death.
Saint Gabinus was a Roman Christian, brother of Pope Caius and father of the beautiful Saint Suzanne. He also seems to have been related to Emperor Diocletian. Gabinus was ordained a priest and died as a martyr of starvation under Diocletian. His acts are very untrustworthy (Benedictines, Encyclopedia). Saint Gabinus can be identified in art as a prisoner with the doors open to the cell (Roeder)
.
  In Africa sanctórum Mártyrum Públii, Juliáni, Marcélli et aliórum.
       In Africa, the holy martyrs Publius, Julian, Marcellus, and others.

 In Palæstína commemorátio sanctórum Monachórum, et aliórum Mártyrum, qui a Saracénis, sub Duce Alamúndaro, ob Christi fidem, sævíssime cæsi sunt.
      In Palestine, the commemoration of the holy monks and other martyrs who were barbarously massacred for the faith of Christ by the Saracens, under their leader Almondhar.

304 St. Zambdas martyred 37th Bishop of Jerusalem
 Hierosólymis sancti Zambdæ Epíscopi.       At Jerusalem, St. Zambdas, bishop.
He was martyred during the persecutions under Emperor Diocletian. Zambdas is also listed as Bazas Or Zabdas, and he is associated in tradition with the Theban Legion.
Zambdas of Jerusalem B (RM) (also known as Zabdas, Bazas) Died c. 304. Zambdas was said to have been the 37th bishop of Jerusalem. He has been connected with the legend of the Theban legion (Benedictines).

441 Mesrob the Teacher  government official in Armenia Georgia translation of the Bible B (AC)
 (also known as Mesrop) Born at Taron, Armenia, c. 345; died at Valarshapat, February 19; feast day formerly November 25.

441 ST MESROP, BISHOP
IN the account of St Isaac the Great on September 9 mention is made of his work in unifying the Armenian people and laying the foundations of a literature in the national tongue, and that his chief helper therein was St Mesrop (Mashtots), who for a time had been a “civil servant”. When Armenia was partitioned between the Empire and Persia Mesrop retired to a solitary life, becoming a priest and pursuing his studies in the Greek, Syriac and Persian languages. He then became a missionary among his own people, and found himself handicapped by the fact that the Bible and the liturgy were in Syriac and that there was no adequate way of writing them in Armenian. He therefore decided in consultation with St Isaac to revive and remake an Armenian alphabet, which in due course was done with the help of other scholars, the chief basis being the small letters of the Greek alphabet.
Some years later the first Armenian translation of the Bible was completed from Syriac, St Mesrop being said to be responsible for the New Testament and the book of Proverbs. This version was soon after revised at Edessa by two of his pupils, and eventually the final revision of the Old Testament was made from the Septuagint.* [*The Armenian Bible has roused the interest not only of scriptural and linguistic scholars, but of Lord Byron. He seems to have contemplated making an English version from it, but did not get further than an apocryphal letter from the church of Corinth to St Paul and the apostle’s equally apocryphal reply which are found in some editions. Cf. The Commonweal, August 29, 1941, pp. 441-442. The Armenian Bible was first printed at Amsterdam, in 1666; the Psalter only at Venice a hundred years earlier.]
The liturgy also was translated into Armenian. Mesrop preached and taught throughout Armenia and into Georgia, setting up schools and creating
a Georgian alphabet; he then returned to his own part of the country, where with the encouragement of St Isaac he established a school of his own. It was here, and under the direction of these two, that numerous translations from Greek and Syriac were made. St Mesrop died at the age of over eighty at Valarshapat on February 19, 441.
“Mesrop the Teacher” is named in the intercession of the Mass of the Armenian rite.

There is an Armenian life of St Mesrop by his disciple Koriun or Goriun. It exists in at least two recensions (numbered in the BHO. 755 and 756). The former of these has been translated into German by Canon S. Weber in vol. i of Ausgewählte Schriften de l’Armenischen Kirchenväter (1927). With regard to the life and activities of St Mesrop, consult Tourne­bize Histoire politique et religieuse de l’Armenie (1910), especially pp. 503—513 and 633—636 and also Weber, Die Katholische Kirche in Armenien (1903), pp. 393—42 1. Fr P. Peeters has expressed a high opinion of the value of Koriun’s biography, so far at least as regards its broader issues of fact, and St Mesrop’s claim to have created the Georgian alphabet. See the Analecta Bollandiana, vol. liii (1935), pp. 148—150, p. 298, with its references, and Recherches d’histoire et de philologie orientales (1951), vol. i, pp. 171—207. Some discussion of a divergent view will be found in the Analecta Bollandiana, vol. liv (1936), pp. 339—401.
Saint Mesrob 'the Great' was a government official in Armenia, then a hermit and a disciple of Saint Nerses the Great. Mesrob was ordained and devoted himself to the study of Greek, Syriac, and Persian because Armenia had recently been partitioned between Persia and the Empire.
With Saint Isaac the Great, Mesrob was the founder of the Armenian church through his missionary efforts.

He is credited with inventing the Armenian alphabet and translating the New Testament and Proverbs into Armenian from the Syriac version.  Mesrob's missionary activities took him into Georgia, where he also had a literary influence, and is said to have sent students as far as Rome in search of manuscripts.  He also organized schools in Armenia and Georgia and created a Georgian alphabet.
Mesrob and Isaac began the formation of a distinctly Armenian liturgy of worship based on that of the mother church at Caesarea in Cappadocia. He also founded his own school in Armenia, and continued preaching until his death at Valarshapat aged of 80. The Armenian translation of the Bible has a special value for scholars (Attwater, Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopedia).
450 St. Valerius Bishop of Antibes, France
He worked throughout southern France to evangelize the region and to increase the monastic presence.
Valerius of Antibes B (AC) Died after 450. Bishop of Antibes in southern France (Benedictines).
452 St. Odran  Martyr in place of St. Patrick
According to tradition, he drove Patrick’s chariot. Odran died when he changed places with Patrick in the vehicle just before an ambush by pagans was sprung.
Saint Odran was the chariot-driver for Saint Patrick. He was assassinated in place of his master because he changed places with Patrick in the chariot when he knew that an ambush awaited them (Benedictines, Encyclopedia).

509 Martyrs of Palestine Saracen tribes under Persian rule (RM)
 In Palæstína commemorátio sanctórum Monachórum, et aliórum Mártyrum, qui a Saracénis, sub Duce Alamúndaro, ob Christi fidem, sævíssime cæsi sunt.
       In Palestine, the commemoration of the holy monks and other martyrs who were barbarously massacred for the faith of Christ by the Saracens, under their leader Almondhar.
Saracen tribes under Persian rule invaded Palestine about this time and martyred the hermits they found there, out of hatred for Rome and Christianity (Benedictines).
682 St. Barbatus Bishop Benevento innocence, simplicity, and purity of heart
 Apud Benevéntum sancti Barbáti Epíscopi, qui, sanctitáte célebris, Longobárdos et eórum Ducem convértit ad Christum.  At Benevento, St. Barbatus, a bishop illustrious for sanctity, who converted the Lombards and their chief to the faith of Christ.

682 ST BARBATUS, Bishop of Benevento
We know nothing definite about the parentage and youth of St Barbatus, although a late tradition declares him to have been a native of Benevento and to have minis­tered after his ordination in the church of St Basil at Morcona. He was afterwards transferred to the neighbouring Benevento, and for the remainder of his life we have a not very trustworthy biography of the ninth century.
When St Barbatus began his ministry, he found even the nominal Christians steeped in pagan superstitions, including Duke Romuald, whose father Grimoald, King of the Lombards, had edified all Italy by his conversion to Christianity. They venerated a golden viper and worshipped at a tree on which they hung the skin of a wild beast. The ceremonies in honour of these terminated with public games in which the skin served for a mark at which bowmen shot arrows over their shoulders. St Barbatus preached boldly against these abuses and laboured long to no purpose, although he supplemented his exhortations with fervent prayer and rigorous fasting for the conversion of the deluded people. At length he roused them from their indiffer­ence by vividly portraying the calamities their city was bound to suffer from the army of the Emperor Constans II, who, landing soon afterwards in Italy (A.D. 663), laid siege to Benevento. In their distress and alarm they listened to the preacher and renounced their errors and pagan practices. Thereupon St Barbatus consoled them by his assurance that the siege would be raised and the emperor worsted—as actually happened. The saint with his own hand felled the tree which had been the object of their veneration and melted down the golden viper, of which he made a chalice. Hildebrand, Bishop of Benevento, had died during the siege, and St Barbatus was chosen as his successor. He was able to complete the good work he had begun and stamped out heathenism throughout the state. In the year 680 he attended the sixth general council, which was held at Constantinople against the monothelites. He did not long survive this assembly, for he died on February 29, 682, at the age of seventy years.

See the Acta Sanctorum, February, vol. iii. A more correct text of the life has been edited by Waitz in the MGH., Scriptores rerum Langobardorum pp. 556—563. The life is not older than the beginning of the ninth century.

He was born in Italy about 612 and was ordained in Marcona. Sent to Benevento, Barbatus evangelized and converted many. When the city was put under siege by Byzantine Emperor Constans II in 663, Barbatus predicted that the assault would end. When peace came, Barbatus was named bishop of Benevento.
He attended the Council of Constantinople in 680. He died in Benevento on February 29.

Barbatus of Benevento B (RM) (also known as Barbas) Born in the area of Benevento, Italy. Born of Christian parents, Barbatus was raised to sanctity. Devout meditation on the holy scriptures was his chief entertainment.
His innocence, simplicity, and purity of heart qualified him for the service of the altar, to which he was ordained as soon as the canons of the church would allow it.

Barbatus was immediately employed by the bishop in preaching because he had an extraordinary talent for it. Later he was made curate of Saint Basil's in Morcona near Benevento, a typical parish where the people hesitated to change their sinful ways. As they desired only to slumber on in their sins, they could not bear the remonstrations of their pastor who endeavored to wake them to a sense of their miseries and to sincere repentance.
They, in turn, treated him as a disturber of the peace and violently persecuted him.

Their malice was answered by Barbatus's patience and humility, and his character shining still more brightly was an even greater reproach. Finally, he was forced to withdraw from them.
But by these fiery trials, God purified his heart from all earthly attachments, and perfectly crucified it to the world.

Barbatus returned to Benevento were he was received with joy by those who were acquainted with his innocence and sanctity. Barbatus was the enemy of superstition, which still prevailed among the Lombards even after the conversion of the Arian king Grimoald. The people expressed a religious veneration for a golden viper and prostrated themselves before it.
They also paid superstitious honor to a tree on which they hung the skin of a wild animal.

Barbatus preached zealously against these abuses, and added fervent prayer and rigorous fasting for the conversion of his people. At length he roused their attention by foretelling the calamities they were to suffer from the army of Emperor Constans, who, soon after landing in Italy, besieged Benevento. Soon they were listening to the preacher and renounced their errors and idolatrous practices. Then Barbatus assured them that the siege would be ended and it so happened.
Upon their repentance the saint cut down the tree with his own hand and melted down the golden viper to make a chalice for the altar.

Ildebrand, bishop of Benevento, died during the siege. Once the peace was restored, Saint Barbatus was consecrated bishop on March 10, 663.
As bishop he completed the work of eradicating every trace of superstition in the state.

In 680, Barbatus assisted in a council called by Pope Agatho at Rome and the following year attended the Sixth General Council held at Constantinople against the Monothelites.
He died shortly after the council about age 70. He is honored as one of the chief patrons of Benevento (Benedictines, Encyclopedia, Husenbeth).
690 Mansuetus of Milan treatise against the Monothelites B (RM) Born in Rome
 Medioláni sancti Mansuéti, Epíscopi et Confessóris.       At Milan, St. Mansuetus, bishop and confessor.
Mansuetus was appointed to the see of Milan around 672 and ruled it with vigor and wisdom.
He wrote a treatise against the Monothelites (Benedictines).
798 St. Beatus Monk author foe Adoptionist, heresy foe, commentary on the book of Revelation
A member of St. Martin's Monastery, in Liebana, near Santander, Spain, Beatus opposed the Adoptionist theories of Archbishop Elipandus of Toledo. He worked with Etherius, the bishop of Osma, in converting Elipandus' followers. Both wrote the Liber Adversus Elipandum, a defense against the archbishop's censure.

When the Adoptionist heresy was condemned, Beatus retired to the monastery of Valcavado, where he wrote commentaries and hymns. Beatus of Liébana, OSB Monk (AC) (also known as Bie) Born in Austurias, Spain. Beatus, monk and priest of Liébana, was a defender of the faith in Spain. He was famous for his firm stand against Helipandus, archbishop of Toledo and other Adoptionists. When the Adoptionists were condemned, the saint retired to the monastery of Valcavado, where he wrote his commentary on the book of Revelation (Benedictines, Encyclopedia).
798 ST BEATUS OF LIEBANA
IN the latter part of the eighth century there was at Toledo an aged archbishop called Elipandus, who had been infected by that subtle revival of the Nestorian heresy which asserted that Christ was only the adopted son of the Eternal Father. This false doctrine Elipandus taught openly and disseminated far and wide. Against this Goliath, God raised up another David in the form of a priest called Beatus, a monk of Liebana in the Asturian mountains. When he heard the errors of Elipandus he at once set himself to counteract his teaching, both by speech and by writing, and he was joined by Etherius, who afterwards became bishop of Osma in Catalonia. They were very successful, and won back multitudes to the true faith. This soon reached the ears of the archbishop, who was furious and wrote a scathing letter to Abbot Fidelis, apparently a dignitary of great importance in the Asturias. In it he denounced Beatus as a vagrant mountaineer (and worse things) who dared set himself against the archbishop of Toledo and the Church. As for Etherius, he was a mere youth who had been led away by the bombast of this adventurer, but Beatus must be shown his error, and if he persisted he must be delivered up for correction. This letter the abbot showed to Beatus, and the saint’s reply was to publish a book with Etherius in which they set forth, none too clearly, the orthodox teaching. Beatus was influenced and praised by Alcuin, who called him “a learned man, as holy in his life as in his name.”

Ten years before the Liber adversus Elipandum, St Beatus had in 776 published a Commentary on the Apocalypse, of which a number of illuminated manuscripts of artistic interest exist, of ninth-century date onwards. It is likely that he was also the author of several of the hymns of the Mozarabic liturgy. Through a confusion of names, it has been mistakenly asserted that St Beatus was buried at Valcavado; his monastery at Liebana, near Santander, was probably St Martin’s, later called Santo Toribio.

See the Acta Sanctorum, February, vol. iii; Florez, España Sagrada, vol. xxxiv, pp. 378—389; Gams, Kirchengeschichte von Spanien, vol. ii, Pt 2, pp. 275—28 ; and DHG., vol. vii, cc. 889-90. And also Mateo del Alamo, “Los comentarios de Beato al Apocalipsis y Elipando” in Miscellanea Giovanni Mercati, vol. ii (Studi e Testi, vol. cxxii, 1946); and H. A. Sanders, Beati in Apocalipsim libri duodecim (American Academy in Rome, 1930).
884 George of Lodève, OSB (AC) Born at Rodez, Spain
Saint George was a Benedictine at Sainte-Foi-de-Conques in Rouergue. After the destruction of the monastery by the Norsemen in 862, he migrated to Vabres in his home diocese.
When George was quite old, he was elected bishop of Lodève (Benedictines).
 11th v Neápoli, in Campánia, sancti Quod-vult-Deus, Carthaginénsis Epíscopi, qui, una cum Clero, a Rege Ariáno Genseríco in fractas et absque remígiis ac velis naves impósitus, præter spem Neápolim áppulit, ibíque, in exsílio pósitus, Conféssor occúbuit.
       At Naples in Campania, St. Quodvultdeus, bishop of Carthage.  The Arian king Genseric placed him together with his clergy into boats which were broken and without oars and sails, but they unexpectedly reached Naples.  He died in exile as a confessor.
1135 St. Belina Virgin martyr of Troyes, France died in defense of her virginity
A peasant, Belina was threatened by the feudal lord of the district. Belina refused his advances and died in defense of her virginity. She was canonized in 1203.
Belina of Troyes VM (AC)  A peasant girl of the district of Troyes, France, who died in defense of her chastity when it was threatened by the feudal lord of the territory (Benedictines).
1265 St. Boniface of Lausanne Bishop publicly scolded emperor local clergy for corruption
He was born in Brussels, Belgium, and educated by the Cistercian nuns of La Cambra nearby. After studying in Paris, France, he taught dogma there and at Cologne, Germany. In 1230, he was made the bishop of Lausanne, Switzerland.  He served nine years and then resigned to live at the Cistercian convent at La Cambra as chaplain because of an assault by agents of Emperor Frederick II after he had publicly scolded the emperor and the local clergy for their corruption.

1260 ST BONIFACE, BISHOP OF LAUSANNE
ST Boniface was born in Brussels and was sent at the age of seventeen to study at Paris, where he in due course became one of the best-known lecturers in the university. He remained in Paris for seven more years, but disputes arose between the masters and the students, and his pupils struck and would not attend his lectures any longer. This decided him to leave Paris and he betook himself to Cologne, where a post was assigned to him in the cathedral school. He had been there only two years when he was elected bishop of Lausanne. He went to his diocese full of zeal and laboured indefatigably, but he found himself continually opposed and misunderstood throughout the eight years of his episcopate. Perhaps his long connection with the University of Paris unfitted him for dealing tactfully with his difficult people; he appears to have publicly denounced from the pulpit the weaknesses of the clergy. Having incurred the enmity of the Emperor Frederick II, Boniface was set upon and badly wounded in 1239. Convinced that he was unfit for his office, he went to the pope and begged to be released, and his request was granted. The saint went back to Brussels, to the Cistercian nunnery at La Cambre, where the abbess invited him to stay amongst them. This he seems to have done, donning the Cistercian habit if he did not actually take the vows, and living the rest of his life within the precincts of the abbey. His cultus was approved in 1702.
Apart from the two short Lives of Boniface which have been printed in the Acta Sanc­torum, February, vol. iii, a great deal of information concerning him may be gleaned from contemporary chronicles, charters, etc. All this has been turned to account by J. F. Kieckens, Étude historique sur St Boniface (1892) ; by Fr Rattinger in two articles in the Stimmen aus Maria Laach, 1896; and by A. Simon and R. Aubert; Boniface de Bruxelles (1945). Boniface has been claimed as the first “Weihbischof”, a type of prelate without definite see, analogous to the chorepiscopi of the early middle ages. We have abundant evidence that during the eighteen years or more that he resided at La Cambre, he went about consecrating churches and altars and discharging other episcopal functions.
Boniface of Lausanne, O. Cist. B (AC) Born in Brussels, Belgium; cultus approved in 1702. Boniface was educated by the nuns of La Cambre (Camera Santa Mariae) near Brussels. Thereafter he studied in Paris, where he taught dogma and became one of the best-known lecturers in the university. He left the university during a student strike, when his pupils no longer came to his classes, and transferred his chair to the University of Cologne. About 1230, he was consecrated bishop of Lausanne, Switzerland, but found that his zeal and frankness was met by misunderstanding and resentment. Having incurred the enmity of Emperor Frederick II, Boniface was attacked and badly wounded in 1239. Convinced he was unfit for office, he begged the pope to release him. The Holy Father agreed. Boniface resigned to live at the Cistercian convent of La Cambre as chaplain to the nuns. It is uncertain whether he actually became a Cistercian or simply lived out his life among them (Benedictines, Walsh).
Saint Boniface is portrayed as a Cistercian bishop with an image of the Virgin and Child on a book. Venerated in Brussels, Cologne, Lausanne, and Paris (Roeder)
1350 St. Conrad of Piacenza reputation for holiness
Born 1290 of a noble family in northern Italy, Conrad as a young man married Euphrosyne, daughter of a nobleman.

One day while hunting he ordered attendants to set fire to some brush in order to flush out the game. The fire spread to nearby fields and to a large forest. Conrad fled. An innocent peasant was imprisoned, tortured to confess and condemned to death. Conrad confessed his guilt, saved the man’s life and paid for the damaged property. Soon after this event, Conrad and his wife agreed to separate: she to a Poor Clare monastery and he to a group of hermits following the Third Order Rule. His reputation for holiness, however, spread quickly. Since his many visitors destroyed his solitude, Conrad went to a more remote spot in Sicily where he lived 36 years as a hermit, praying for himself and for the rest of the world.  Prayer and penance were his answer to the temptations that beset him. Conrad died kneeling before a crucifix. He was canonized in 1625.
 
1351 ST CONRAD OF PIACENZA
THIS Conrad belonged to a noble family of Piacenza, where he lived with his wife, to whom he was much attached. One day when he was out hunting he ordered his attendants to fire some brushwood to drive out the game. This they did, but a strong wind drove the flames into the cornfields, and the conflagration spread to the neighbouring villages. Conrad, unable to check the fire, returned home secretly with his beaters, and they said nothing about their share in the disaster. A poor man who was found picking up sticks near the fire, was accused of incendiar­ism and sentenced to death. Upon hearing this, Conrad was filled with remorse and hastened to exculpate the accused and to give himself up, explaining how it had all come about. He was ordered to make good the damage which his careless­ness had caused. The fine thus inflicted swallowed up nearly all his possessions as well as his wife’s dowry. This caused them to think very seriously, and they came to the conclusion that the finger of God was to be seen in what had happened. They agreed to give away to the poor whatever was left them, and, whilst his wife entered a convent of Poor Clares, Conrad put on the garb of a pilgrim and attached himself to some hermits who lived under the rule of the third order of St Francis, to which he was admitted. From that time he led a life of extraordinary piety, and soon his fame began to bring him visits from his former fellow-citizens. To avoid this publicity he decided to leave the neighbourhood; he crossed over to Sicily and took up his abode in the valley of Noto, where he dwelt for thirty years, partly in the Hospital of St Martin and partly in a hermitage founded by William Bocherio, another nobleman who had become an anchorite. Towards the end of his life St Conrad, to obtain more complete solitude, betook himself to the grotto of Pizzoni, three miles from Noto.
In spite of all attempts to hide himself, the fame of his sanctity spread far and wide, and when a famine occurred numbers of people came to him to implore his help. Through his prayers relief came at once to the stricken inhabitants, and from that time his cell was besieged by sufferers of all kinds. The Bishop of Syracuse himself visited him, and it was told afterwards that while his attendants were preparing to unpack the provisions they had brought, the bishop had asked St Conrad with a smile whether he had nothing to offer his visitors. The holy man replied that he would go and look in his cell, from which he emerged carrying became a favourite shrine at which many miraculous cures took place. He is more particularly invoked for ruptures on account of the large number of people who owed their recovery from hernia to his intercession. The cultus of St Conrad has been approved by three popes.

See the Acta Sanctorum, February, vol. iii; Mazzara, Leggendario Francescano, vol. pp 246—254; and Leon, L’Auréole Séraphique (Eng. trans.), vol. I. The many marvels of which these accounts are full do not seem to be borne out by any reliable evidence.
Comment: Francis of Assisi was drawn both to contemplation and to a life of preaching; periods of intense prayer nourished his preaching. Some of his early followers, however, felt called to a life of greater contemplation, and he accepted that.Though Conrad of Piacenza is not the norm in the Church, he and other contemplatives remind us of the greatness of God and of the joys of heaven.
Quote: Pope Paul VI’s 1969 Instruction on the Contemplative Life includes this passage: "To withdraw into the desert is for Christians tantamount to associating themselves more intimately with Christ’s passion, and it enables them, in a very special way, to share in the paschal mystery and in the passage of Our Lord from this world to the heavenly homeland" (#1).
Conrad of Piacenza, OFM Tert. (AC) Born in 1290; died 1351 or 1354; cultus approved with the title of saint by Paul III. The nobly born Conrad loved hunting. One day on Conrad's orders, his beaters set light to the undergrowth to flush out the game that their master wished to kill. The fire spread to neighboring cornfields and even damaged several houses. Unable to control the fire, Conrad and his beaters quickly returned home and said nothing.  A poor man who had been collecting faggots nearby was unjustly accused of starting the fire and condemned to death. Conrad's conscience was stirred, and he confessed to being responsible for the fire, in order to save the poor man's life.

The compensation he had to pay for the damage caused by the fire was enormous. Conrad and his wife were virtually impoverished. But the experience had enriched him spiritually. It seemed to both of them that God was calling them to abandon a life devoted to selfish pleasures. The couple gave their remaining possessions to the poor. Saint Francis and Saint Clare had established orders for those who voluntarily embraced poverty; Conrad became a hermit under the rule of Saint Francis, and his wife joined the Poor Clares.

Nothing could keep away men and women attracted by the great austerity of the rest of Conrad's life. He withdrew more and more into solitude, finally spending thirty years in the valley of Noto in Sicily. He spent part of his time in the Hospital of Saint Martin, and the rest in the hermitage founded by William Bocherio, another noble who had become an anchorite.
Seeking still more solitude, he hid himself in the grotto of Pizzoni near Noto. Yet his prayers brought blessings to men, sometimes healing their diseases, and thousands flocked to him. When a famine struck, people came to him to beg for help. Through his prayers, relief was said to come at once.
Even the bishop of Syracuse travelled to seek his blessing towards the end of Conrad's life. It was reported that as the bishop's attendants were preparing to unpack provisions they had brought, the bishop asked Conrad smilingly whether he had anything to offer his guests. Conrad replied that he would go and look in his cell. He returned carrying newly made cakes, which the bishop accepted as a miracle.
Conrad returned the bishop's visit and made a general confession to him. As he arrived, he was surrounded by fluttering birds, who escorted him back to Noto.
He died still praying for others in the church of Saint Nicholas in Noto, where his tomb became the goal of many pilgrimages because of the miraculous cures that occurred there (Benedictines, Bentley, Encyclopedia, White).
In art, Conrad is a Franciscan hermit with a cross upon which birds perch. Sometimes he is portrayed as a bearded, old man with a tau staff, bare feet, Franciscan cincture, with small birds fluttering around him (Roeder), or with stags and animals about him (White). He is invoked against hernias (Encyclopedia, White).

February 19, 2010 St. Conrad of Piacenza (1290-1350) 
Born of a noble family in northern Italy, Conrad as a young man married Euphrosyne, daughter of a nobleman.
One day while hunting he ordered attendants to set fire to some brush in order to flush out the game. The fire spread to nearby fields and to a large forest. Conrad fled. An innocent peasant was imprisoned, tortured to confess and condemned to death. Conrad confessed his guilt, saved the man’s life and paid for the damaged property.
Soon after this event, Conrad and his wife agreed to separate: she to a Poor Clare monastery and he to a group of hermits following the Third Order Rule. His reputation for holiness, however, spread quickly. Since his many visitors destroyed his solitude, Conrad went to a more remote spot in Sicily where he lived 36 years as a hermit, praying for himself and for the rest of the world.
Prayer and penance were his answer to the temptations that beset him. Conrad died kneeling before a crucifix. He was canonized in 1625.
Comment: Francis of Assisi was drawn both to contemplation and to a life of preaching; periods of intense prayer nourished his preaching. Some of his early followers, however, felt called to a life of greater contemplation, and he accepted that. Though Conrad of Piacenza is not the norm in the Church, he and other contemplatives remind us of the greatness of God and of the joys of heaven.
Quote: Pope Paul VI’s 1969 Instruction on the Contemplative Life includes this: "To withdraw into the desert is for Christians tantamount to associating themselves more intimately with Christ’s passion, and it enables them, in a very special way, to share in the paschal mystery and the passage of Our Lord from this world to the heavenly homeland" (#1).
1400 + St. Alvarez confessor Queen Catherine adviser tutor King John II teaching preaching asceticism holiness
 was born in either Lisbon, Portugal, or Cordova, Spain. He entered the Dominican convent at Cordova in 1368. He became known for his preaching prowess in Spain and Italy, was confessor and adviser of Queen Catherine, John of Gaunt's daughter, and tutor of King John II in his youth.
He reformed the court, and then left the court to found a monastery near Cordova. There the Escalaceli (ladder of heaven) that he built became a center of religious devotion. He successfully led the opposition to antipope Benedict XII (Peter de Luna), and by the time of his death was famous all over Spain for his teaching, preaching, asceticism, and holiness. His cult was confirmed in 1741.
1430 BD ALVAREZ OF CORDOVA
THE birthplace of Bd Alvarez is uncertain: some authorities give it as Lisbon and others Cordova, where the greater part of his life was spent. He entered the Dominican convent of St Paul there in 1368. He became a wonderful preacher and laboured with great success first in Andalusia and afterwards in Italy. On the death of King Henry II of Castile, Alvarez became confessor and adviser of the Queen-mother Catherine (who was the daughter of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster), and directed the early training of the young King John II. He com­pletely reformed the court, but when, owing to political dissensions, the regency was divided he withdrew from court and resumed his former work as a preacher.

Bd Alvarez had long formed the design, which he proceeded to carry out, of found­ing a Dominican house which, in accord with the reform already begun by Bd Raymund of Capua, should follow strictly the rule of St Dominic. He chose a mountainous region not far from Cordova, and there he erected the Escalaceli, Ladder of Heaven, which became a centre of piety and learning, to which men flocked from all parts of Spain.

Alvarez exercised a great influence in resisting the papal claimant Benedict XIII”, Peter de Luna, and in bringing the people and—what was much more difficult—the grandees, to acknowledge the legitimate pope.

In spite of advancing age Bd Alvarez continued his work of catechizing, teaching and preaching: he would spend his whole day in such tasks, and when he returned at night to his monastery he would devote nearly all the night to prayer. He and his brethren depended upon alms for their food, and sometimes he went to the market-place in Cordova and addressed the people, ending up by saying, “My dear brethren, the poor friars of St Dominic in the mountain recommend themselves to your charity”.
His practices of penance grew ever more severe; he crawled on his knees to a chapel dedicated to our Lady of Pity, taking the discipline as he went, and a picture still at Cordova represents him thus kneeling, his shoulders covered with blood and accompanied by angels, some of whom are clearing away little rocks from his path.
He built several chapels in the monastery grounds, each one representing a “station” or scene of our Lord’s passion, doubtless suggested to him by his experiences as a pilgrim in Jerusalem. It was told that one night when he had been praying in one of these, a violent storm made the brook which separated it from the monastery quite impassable. When the bell rang for Matins the holy man lifted his eyes to God, took off his black cloak, spread it on the water and walked safely across to dry land; he resumed his cloak and returned to his place in choir as usual. The cultus of Bd Alvarez was confirmed in 1741.

See Touron, Les Hommes illustres de l’Ordre de St Dominique, vol. iii, pp. 98—110 Procter, Dominican Saints, pp. 42—44 ; Mortier, Maîtres Généraux OP., vol. iv, pp. 210—214. Mortier points out that the date 1420 usually assigned for the death of Alvarez cannot possibly be correct, for documentary evidence shows that he was living in 1423. The same historian seems to claim for Bd Alvarez that he was the originator in the West of the devotion of the Stations of the Cross. But the idea of a series of such shrines may be traced as far back as St Petronius of Bologna in the fifth century, and the Augustinians, Peter and John da Fabriano, erected similar stations shortly before the time of Alvarez. The idea at this period was becoming very general

1862  Bl. Lucy Martyr of China Catholic schoolteacher.
She was a Catholic schoolteacher in China, where she was beheaded. Lucy was beatified in 1909.



THE PSALTER OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY PSALM 269

O Lady, come to my assistance: and by the light of thy mercy enlighten me.

Teach us to seek thy goodness: that we may declare thy wonders.

Show forth thy power against our enemies: that thou mayest be praised among the distant nations.

In the flames of thy wrath let them be plunged into hell: and may they who trouble thy servants find perdition.

Have mercy on thy servants, upon whom thy name is invoked !
and do not permit them to be straitened in their temptations.


Let every spirit praise Our Lady

For thy spirit is kind: thy grace fills the whole world.

Thunder, ye heavens, from above, and give praise to her: glorify her, ye earth, with all the dwellers therein.


Rejoice, ye Heavens, and be glad, O Earth: because Mary will console her servants and will have mercy on her poor.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost as it was in the beginning and will always be.


God loves variety. He doesn't mass-produce his saints. Every saint is unique, for each is the result of a new idea. 
As the liturgy says: Non est inventus similis illis--there are no two exactly alike. It is we with our lack of imagination, who paint the same haloes on all the saints. Dear Lord, grant us a spirit that is not bound by our own ideas and preferences. 
Grant that we may be able to appreciate in others what we lack in ourselves.
O Lord, grant that we may understand that every saint must be a unique praise of Your glory. Catholic saints are holy people and human people who lived extraordinary lives.  Each saint the Church honors responded to God's invitation to use his or her unique gifts.   God calls each one of us to be a saint in order to get into heavenonly saints are allowed into heaven.
The more "extravagant" graces are bestowed NOT for the benefit of the recipients so much as FOR the benefit of others.
There are over 10,000 named saints beati  from history
 and Roman Martyology Orthodox sources

Patron_Saints.html  Widowed_Saints htmIndulgences The Catholic Church in China
LINKS: Marian Shrines  
India Marian Shrine Lourdes of the East   Lourdes 1858  China Marian shrines 1995
Kenya national Marian shrine  Loreto, Italy  Marian Apparitions (over 2000Quang Tri Vietnam La Vang 1798
 
Links to Related MarianWebsites  Angels and Archangels  Saints Visions of Heaven and Hell

Widowed Saints  html
Doctors_of_the_Church   Acts_Of_The_Apostles  Roman Catholic Popes  Purgatory  UniateChalcedon

Mary the Mother of Jesus Miracles_BLay Saints  Miraculous_IconMiraculous_Medal_Novena Patron Saints
Miracles by Century 100   200   300   400   500   600   700    800   900   1000    1100   1200   1300   1400  1500  1600  1700  1800  1900 2000
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1100   1200   1300   1400  1500  1600  1700  1800   1900 Lay Saints

The great psalm of the Passion, Chapter 22, whose first verse “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
Jesus pronounced on the cross, ended with the vision: “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord;
and all the families of the nations shall worship before him
For kingship belongs to the LORD, the ruler over the nations. All who sleep in the earth will bow low before God; All who have gone down into the dust will kneel in homage. And I will live for the LORD; my descendants will serve you. The generation to come will be told of the Lord, that they may proclaim to a people yet unborn the deliverance you have brought.
Pope Benedict XVI to The Catholic Church In China {whole article here} 2000 years of the Catholic Church in China
The saints “a cloud of witnesses over our head”, showing us life of Christian perfection is possible.

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Saint Frances Xavier Seelos  Practical Guide to Holiness
1. Go to Mass with deepest devotion. 2. Spend a half hour to reflect upon your main failing & make resolutions to avoid it.
3. Do daily spiritual reading for at least 15 minutes, if a half hour is not possible.  4. Say the rosary every day.
5. Also daily, if at all possible, visit the Blessed Sacrament; toward evening, meditate on the Passion of Christ for a half hour, 6.  Conclude the day with evening prayer & an examination of conscience over all the faults & sins of the day.
7.  Every month make a review of the month in confession.
8. Choose a special patron every month & imitate that patron in some special virtue.
9. Precede every great feast with a novena that is nine days of devotion. 10. Try to begin & end every activity with a Hail Mary

My God, I believe, I adore, I trust and I love Thee.  I beg pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not
O most Holy trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly.  I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the Tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference by which He is offended, and by the infite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  I beg the conversion of poor sinners,  Fatima Prayer, Angel of Peace
The voice of the Father is heard, the Son enters the water, and the Holy Spirit appears in the form of a dove.
THE spirit and example of the world imperceptibly instil the error into the minds of many that there is a kind of middle way of going to Heaven; and so, because the world does not live up to the gospel, they bring the gospel down to the level of the world. It is not by this example that we are to measure the Christian rule, but words and life of Christ. All His followers are commanded to labour to become perfect even as our heavenly Father is perfect, and to bear His image in our hearts that we may be His children. We are obliged by the gospel to die to ourselves by fighting self-love in our hearts, by the mastery of our passions, by taking on the spirit of our Lord.
   These are the conditions under which Christ makes His promises and numbers us among His children, as is manifest from His words which the apostles have left us in their inspired writings. Here is no distinction made or foreseen between the apostles or clergy or religious and secular persons. The former, indeed, take upon themselves certain stricter obligations, as a means of accomplishing these ends more perfectly; but the law of holiness and of disengagement of the heart from the world is general and binds all the followers of Christ.
God loves variety. He doesn't mass-produce his saints. Every saint is unique each the result of a new idea.
As the liturgy says: Non est inventus similis illis--there are no two exactly alike.
It is we with our lack of imagination, who paint the same haloes on all the saints.

Dear Lord, grant us a spirit not bound by our own ideas and preferences.
 
Grant that we may be able to appreciate in others what we lack in ourselves.

O Lord, grant that we may understand that every saint must be a unique praise of Your glory.
 
Catholic saints are holy people and human people who lived extraordinary lives.
Each saint the Church honors responded to God's invitation to use his or her unique gifts.
The 15 Promises of the Virgin Mary to those who recite the Rosary ) Revealed to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan)
1.    Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall receive signal graces. 2.    I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary. 3.    The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies. 4.    It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of people from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things.  Oh, that soul would sanctify them by this means.  5.    The soul that recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary shall not perish. 6.    Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying themselves to the consideration of its Sacred Mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune.  God will not chastise them in His justice, they shall not perish by an unprovided death; if they be just, they shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life. 7.    Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church. 8.    Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plentitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the Saints in Paradise. 9.    I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary. 10.    The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in Heaven.  11.    You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary. 12.    I shall aid all those who propagate the Holy Rosary in their necessities. 13.    I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death. 14.    All who recite the Rosary are my children, and brothers and sisters of my only Son, Jesus Christ. 15.    Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.
His Holiness Aram I, current (2013) Catholicos of Cilicia of Armenians, whose See is located in Lebanese town of Antelias. The Catholicosate was founded in Sis, capital of Cilicia, in the year 1441 following the move of the Catholicosate of All Armenians back to its original See of Etchmiadzin in Armenia. The Catholicosate of Cilicia enjoyed local jurisdiction, though spiritually subject to the authority of Etchmiadzin. In 1921 the See was transferred to Aleppo in Syria, and in 1930 to Antelias.
Its jurisdiction currently extends to Syria, Cyprus, Iran and Greece.
Aramaic dialect of Edessa, now known as Syriac
The exact date of the introduction of Christianity into Edessa {Armenian Ourhaï in Arabic Er Roha, commonly Orfa or Urfa, its present name} is not known. It is certain, however, that the Christian community was at first made up from the Jewish population of the city. According to an ancient legend, King Abgar V, Ushana, was converted by Addai, who was one of the seventy-two disciples. In fact, however, the first King of Edessa to embrace the Christian Faith was Abgar IX (c. 206) becoming official kingdom religion.
Christian council held at Edessa early as 197 (Eusebius, Hist. Ecc7V,xxiii).
In 201 the city was devastated by a great flood, and the Christian church was destroyed (“Chronicon Edessenum”, ad. an. 201).
In 232 the relics of the Apostle St. Thomas were brought from India, on which occasion his Syriac Acts were written.

Under Roman domination martyrs suffered at Edessa: Sts. Scharbîl and Barsamya, under Decius; Sts. Gûrja, Schâmôna, Habib, and others under Diocletian.
 
In the meanwhile Christian priests from Edessa evangelized Eastern Mesopotamia and Persia, established the first Churches in the kingdom of the Sassanides.  Atillâtiâ, Bishop of Edessa, assisted at the Council of Nicæa (325). The “Peregrinatio Silviæ” (or Etheriæ) (ed. Gamurrini, Rome, 1887, 62 sqq.) gives an account of the many sanctuaries at Edessa about 388.
Although Hebrew had been the language of the ancient Israelite kingdom, after their return from Exile the Jews turned more and more to Aramaic, using it for parts of the books of Ezra and Daniel in the Bible. By the time of Jesus, Aramaic was the main language of Palestine, and quite a number of texts from the Dead Sea Scrolls are also written in Aramaic.
Aramaic continued to be an important language for Jews, alongside Hebrew, and parts of the Talmud are written in it.
After Arab conquests of the seventh century, Arabic quickly replaced Aramaic as the main language of those who converted to Islam, although in out of the way places, Aramaic continued as a vernacular language of Muslims.
Aramaic, however, enjoyed its greatest success in Christianity. Although the New Testament wins written in Greek, Christianity had come into existence in an Aramaic-speaking milieu, and it was the Aramaic dialect of Edessa, now known as Syriac, that became the literary language of a large number of Christians living in the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire and in the Persian Empire, further east. Over the course of the centuries the influence of the Syriac Churches spread eastwards to China (in Xian, in western China, a Chinese-Syriac inscription dated 781 is still to be seen); to southern India where the state of Kerala can boast more Christians of Syriac liturgical tradition than anywhere else in the world.

680 Shiite saint Imam Hussein, grandson of Islam's Prophet Muhammad Known as Ashoura and observed by Shiites across the world, the 10th day of the lunar Muslim month of Muharram: the anniversary of the 7th century death in battle of one of Shiite Islam's most beloved saints.  Imam Hussein died in the 680 A.D. battle fought on the plains outside Karbala, a city in modern Iraq that's home to the saint's shrine.  The battle over a dispute about the leadership of the Muslim faith following Muhammad's death in 632 A.D. It is the defining event in Islam's split into Sunni and Shiite branches.  The occasion is the source of an enduring moral lesson. "He sacrificed his blood to teach us not to give in to corruption, coercion, or use of force and to seek honor and justice."  According to Shiite beliefs, Hussein and companions were denied water by enemies who controlled the nearby Euphrates.  Streets get partially covered with blood from slaughter of hundreds of cows and sheep. Volunteers cook the meat and feed it to the poor.  Hussein's martyrdom recounted through a rich body of prose, poetry and song remains an inspirational example of sacrifice to many Shiites, 10 percent of the world's estimated 1.3 billion Muslims.
Meeting of the Saints  walis (saints of Allah)
Great men covet to embrace martyrdom for a cause and principle.
So was the case with Hazrat Ali. He could have made a compromise with the evil forces of his time and, as a result, could have led a very comfortable, easy and luxurious life.  But he was not a person who would succumb to such temptations. His upbringing, his education and his training in the lap of the holy Prophet made him refuse such an offer.
Rabia Al-Basri (717–801 C.E.) She was first to set forth the doctrine of mystical love and who is widely considered to be the most important of the early Sufi poets. An elderly Shia pointed out that during his pre-Partition childhood it was quite common to find pictures and portraits of Shia icons in Imambaras across the country.
Shah Abdul Latif: The Exalted Sufi Master born 1690 in a Syed family; died 1754. In ancient times, Sindh housed the exemplary Indus Valley Civilisation with Moenjo Daro as its capital, and now, it is the land of a culture which evolved from the teachings of eminent Sufi saints. Pakistan is home to the mortal remains of many Sufi saints, the exalted among them being Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, a practitioner of the real Islam, philosopher, poet, musicologist and preacher. He presented his teaching through poetry and music - both instruments sublime - and commands a very large following, not only among Muslims but also among Hindus and Christians. Sindh culture: The Shah is synonymous with Sindh. He is the very fountainhead of Sindh's culture. His message remains as fresh as that of any present day poet, and the people of Sindh find solace from his writings. He did indeed think for Sindh. One of his prayers, in exquisite Sindhi, translates thus: “Oh God, may ever You on Sindh bestow abundance rare! Beloved! All the world let share Thy grace, and fruitful be.”
Shia Ali al-Hadi, died 868 and son Hassan al-Askari 874. These saints are the 10th and 11th of Shia's 12 most revered Imams. Baba Farid Sufi 1398 miracle, Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki renowned Muslim Sufi saint scholar miracles 569 A.H. [1173 C.E.] hermit gave to poor, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti greatest mystic of his time born 533 Hijri (1138-39 A.D.), Hazrat Ghuas-e Azam, Hazrat Bu Ali Sharif, and Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Sufi Saint Hazrath Khwaja Syed Mohammed Badshah Quadri Chisty Yamani Quadeer (RA)
1236-1325 welcomed people of all faiths & all walks of life.
801 Rabi'a al-'Adawiyya Sufi One of the most famous Islamic mystics
(b. 717). This 8th century saint was an early Sufi who had a profound influence on later Sufis, who in turn deeply influenced the European mystical love and troubadour traditions.  Rabi'a was a woman of Basra, a seaport in southern Iraq.  She was born around 717 and died in 801 (185-186).  Her biographer, the great medieval poet Attar, tells us that she was "on fire with love and longing" and that men accepted her "as a second spotless Mary" (186).  She was, he continues, “an unquestioned authority to her contemporaries" (218).
Rabi'a began her ascetic life in a small desert cell near Basra, where she lost herself in prayer and went straight to God for teaching.  As far as is known, she never studied under any master or spiritual director.  She was one of the first of the Sufis to teach that Love alone was the guide on the mystic path (222).  A later Sufi taught that there were two classes of "true believers": one class sought a master as an intermediary between them and God -- unless they could see the footsteps of the Prophet on the path before them, they would not accept the path as valid.  The second class “...did not look before them for the footprint of any of God's creatures, for they had removed all thought of what He had created from their hearts, and concerned themselves solely with God. (218)
Rabi'a was of this second kind.  She felt no reverence even for the House of God in Mecca:  "It is the Lord of the house Whom I need; what have I to do with the house?" (219) One lovely spring morning a friend asked her to come outside to see the works of God.  She replied, "Come you inside that you may behold their Maker.  Contemplation of the Maker has turned me aside from what He has made" (219).  During an illness, a friend asked this woman if she desired anything.
"...[H]ow can you ask me such a question as 'What do I desire?'  I swear by the glory of God that for twelve years I have desired fresh dates, and you know that in Basra dates are plentiful, and I have not yet tasted them.  I am a servant (of God), and what has a servant to do with desire?" (162)
When a male friend once suggested she should pray for relief from a debilitating illness, she said,
"O Sufyan, do you not know Who it is that wills this suffering for me?  Is it not God Who wills it?  When you know this, why do you bid me ask for what is contrary to His will?  It is not  well to oppose one's Beloved." (221)
She was an ascetic.  It was her custom to pray all night, sleep briefly just before dawn, and then rise again just as dawn "tinged the sky with gold" (187).  She lived in celibacy and poverty, having renounced the world.  A friend visited her in old age and found that all she owned were a reed mat, screen, a pottery jug, and a bed of felt which doubled as her prayer-rug (186), for where she prayed all night, she also slept briefly in the pre-dawn chill.  Once her friends offered to get her a servant; she replied,
"I should be ashamed to ask for the things of this world from Him to Whom the world belongs, and how should I ask for them from those to whom it does not belong?"  (186-7)
A wealthy merchant once wanted to give her a purse of gold.  She refused it, saying that God, who sustains even those who dishonor Him, would surely sustain her, "whose soul is overflowing with love" for Him.  And she added an ethical concern as well:
"...How should I take the wealth of someone of whom I do not know whether he acquired it lawfully or not?" (187)
She taught that repentance was a gift from God because no one could repent unless God had already accepted him and given him this gift of repentance.  She taught that sinners must fear the punishment they deserved for their sins, but she also offered such sinners far more hope of Paradise than most other ascetics did.  For herself, she held to a higher ideal, worshipping God neither from fear of Hell nor from hope of Paradise, for she saw such self-interest as unworthy of God's servants; emotions like fear and hope were like veils -- i.e., hindrances to the vision of God Himself.  The story is told that once a number of Sufis saw her hurrying on her way with water in one hand and a burning torch in the other.  When they asked her to explain, she said:
"I am going to light a fire in Paradise and to pour water on to Hell, so that both veils may vanish altogether from before the pilgrims and their purpose may be sure..." (187-188)
She was once asked where she came from.  "From that other world," she said.  "And where are you going?" she was asked.  "To that other world," she replied (219).  She taught that the spirit originated with God in "that other world" and had to return to Him in the end.  Yet if the soul were sufficiently purified, even on earth, it could look upon God unveiled in all His glory and unite with him in love.  In this quest, logic and reason were powerless.  Instead, she speaks of the "eye" of her heart which alone could apprehend Him and His mysteries (220).
Above all, she was a lover, a bhakti, like one of Krishna’s Goptis in the Hindu tradition.  Her hours of prayer were not so much devoted to intercession as to communion with her Beloved.  Through this communion, she could discover His will for her.  Many of her prayers have come down to us:
       "I have made Thee the Companion of my heart,
        But my body is available for those who seek its company,
        And my body is friendly towards its guests,
        But the Beloved of my heart is the Guest of my soul."  [224]

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Mother Angelica saving souls is this beautiful womans journey  Shrine_of_The_Most_Blessed_Sacrament
Colombia was among the countries Mother Angelica visited. 
In Bogotá, a Salesian priest - Father Juan Pablo Rodriguez - brought Mother and the nuns to the Sanctuary of the Divine Infant Jesus to attend Mass.  After Mass, Father Juan Pablo took them into a small Shrine which housed the miraculous statue of the Child Jesus. Mother Angelica stood praying at the side of the statue when suddenly the miraculous image came alive and turned towards her.  Then the Child Jesus spoke with the voice of a young boy:  “Build Me a Temple and I will help those who help you.” 

Thus began a great adventure that would eventually result in the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, a Temple dedicated to the Divine Child Jesus, a place of refuge for all. Use this link to read a remarkable story about
The Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament
Father Reardon, Editor of The Catholic Bulletin for 14 years Lover of the poor; A very Holy Man of God.
Monsignor Reardon Protonotarius Apostolicus
 
Pastor 42 years BASILICA OF SAINT MARY Minneapolis MN
America's First Basilica Largest Nave in the World
August 7, 1907-ground broke for the foundation
by Archbishop Ireland-laying cornerstone May 31, 1908
James M. Reardon Publication History of Basilica of Saint Mary 1600-1932
James M. Reardon Publication  History of the Basilica of Saint Mary 1955 {update}

Brief History of our Beloved Holy Priest Here and his published books of Catholic History in North America
Reardon, J.M. Archbishop Ireland; Prelate, Patriot, Publicist, 1838-1918.
A Memoir (St. Paul; 1919); George Anthony Belcourt Pioneer Catholic Missionary of the Northwest 1803-1874 (1955);
The Catholic Church IN THE DIOCESE OF ST. PAUL from earliest origin to centennial achievement
1362-1950 (1952);

The Church of Saint Mary of Saint Paul 1875-1922;
  (1932)
The Vikings in the American Heartland;
The Catholic Total Abstinence Society in Minnesota;
James Michael Reardon Born in Nova Scotia, 1872;  Priest, ordained by Bishop Ireland;
Member -- St. Paul Seminary faculty.
Affiliations and Indulgence Litany of Loretto in Stained glass windows here.  Nave Sacristy and Residence Here
Sanctuary
spaces between them filled with grilles of hand-forged wrought iron the
life of our Blessed Lady After the crucifixon
Apostle statues Replicas of those in St John Lateran--Christendom's earliest Basilica.
Ordered by Rome's first Christian Emperor, Constantine the Great, Popes' cathedral and official residence first millennium of Christian history.

The only replicas ever made:  in order from west to east {1932}.
Every Christian must be a living book wherein one can read the teaching of the gospel
 
It Makes No Sense
Not To Believe In GOD
THE BLESSED MOTHER AND ISLAM By Father John Corapi
  June 19, Trinity Sunday, 1991: Ordained Catholic Priest under Pope John Paul II;
then 2,000,000 miles delivering the Gospel to millions, and continues to do so.
By Father John Corapi
THE BLESSED MOTHER AND ISLAM By Father John Corapi
  June 19, Trinity Sunday, 1991: Ordained Catholic Priest under Pope John Paul II;
then 2,000,000 miles delivering the Gospel to millions, and continues to do so.
By Father John Corapi
Among the most important titles we have in the Catholic Church for the Blessed Virgin Mary are Our Lady of Victory and Our Lady of the Rosary. These titles can be traced back to one of the most decisive times in the history of the world and Christendom. The Battle of Lepanto took place on October 7 (date of feast of Our Lady of Rosary), 1571. This proved to be the most crucial battle for the Christian forces against the radical Muslim navy of Turkey. Pope Pius V led a procession around St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City praying the Rosary. He showed true pastoral leadership in recognizing the danger posed to Christendom by the radical Muslim forces, and in using the means necessary to defeat it. Spiritual battles require spiritual weapons, and this more than anything was a battle that had its origins in the spiritual order—a true battle between good and evil.

Today we have a similar spiritual battle in progress—a battle between the forces of good and evil, light and darkness, truth and lies, life and death. If we do not soon stop the genocide of abortion in the United States, we shall run the course of all those that prove by their actions that they are enemies of God—total collapse, economic, social, and national. The moral demise of a nation results in the ultimate demise of a nation. God is not a disinterested spectator to the affairs of man. Life begins at conception. This is an unalterable formal teaching of the Catholic Church. If you do not accept this you are a heretic in plain English. A single abortion is homicide. The more than 48,000,000 abortions since Roe v. Wade in the United States constitute genocide by definition. The group singled out for death—unwanted, unborn children.

No other issue, not all other issues taken together, can constitute a proportionate reason for voting for candidates that intend to preserve and defend this holocaust of innocent human life that is abortion.

As we watch the spectacle of the world seeming to self-destruct before our eyes, we can’t help but be saddened and even frightened by so much evil run rampant. Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Somalia, North Korea—It is all a disaster of epic proportions displayed in living color on our television screens.  These are not ordinary times and this is not business as usual. We are at a crossroads in human history and the time for Catholics and all Christians to act is now. All evil can ultimately be traced to its origin, which is moral evil. All of the political action, peace talks, international peacekeeping forces, etc. will avail nothing if the underlying sickness is not addressed. This is sin. One person at a time hearts and minds must be moved from evil to good, from lies to truth, from violence to peace.
Islam, an Arabic word that has often been defined as “to make peace,” seems like a living contradiction today. Islam is a religion of peace.  As we celebrate the birthday of Our Lady, I am proposing that each one of us pray the Rosary for peace. Prayer is what must precede all other activity if that activity is to have any chance of success. Pray for peace, pray the Rosary every day without fail.  There is a great love for Mary among Muslim people. It is not a coincidence that a little village named Fatima is where God chose to have His Mother appear in the twentieth century. Our Lady’s name appears no less than thirty times in the Koran. No other woman’s name is mentioned, not even that of Mohammed’s daughter, Fatima. In the Koran Our Lady is described as “Virgin, ever Virgin.”

Archbishop Fulton Sheen prophetically spoke of the resurgence of Islam in our day. He said it would be through the Blessed Virgin Mary that Islam would be converted. We must pray for this to happen quickly if we are to avert a horrible time of suffering for this poor, sinful world. Turn to our Mother in this time of great peril. Pray the Rosary every day. Then, and only then will there be peace, when the hearts and minds of men are changed from the inside.
Talk is weak. Prayer is strong. Pray!  God bless you, Father John Corapi

Father Corapi's Biography

Father John Corapi is what has commonly been called a late vocation. In other words, he came to the priesthood other than a young man. He was 44 years old when he was ordained. From small town boy to the Vietnam era US Army, from successful businessman in Las Vegas and Hollywood to drug addicted and homeless, to religious life and ordination to the priesthood by Pope John Paul II, to a life as a preacher of the Gospel who has reached millions with the simple message that God's Name is Mercy!

Father Corapi's academic credentials are quite extensive. He received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Pace University in the seventies. Then as an older man returned to the university classrooms in preparation for his life as a priest and preacher. He received all of his academic credentials for the Church with honors: a Masters degree in Sacred Scripture from Holy Apostles Seminary and Bachelor, Licentiate, and Doctorate degrees in dogmatic theology from the University of Navarre in Spain.

Father John Corapi goes to the heart of the contemporary world's many woes and wars, whether the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Somalia, or the Congo, or the natural disasters that seem to be increasing every year, the moral and spiritual war is at the basis of everything. “Our battle is not against human forces,” St. Paul asserts, “but against principalities and powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness...” (Ephesians 6:12). 
The “War to end all wars” is the moral and spiritual combat that rages in the hearts and minds of human beings. The outcome of that  unseen fight largely determines how the battle in the realm of the seen unfolds.  The title talk, “With the Moon Under Her Feet,” is taken from the twelfth chapter of the Book of Revelation, and deals with the current threat to the world from radical Islam, and the Blessed Virgin Mary's role in the ultimate victory that will result in the conversion of Islam. Few Catholics are aware of the connection between Islam, Fatima, and Guadalupe. Presented in Father Corapi's straight-forward style, you will be both inspired and educated by him.

About Father John Corapi.
Father Corapi is a Catholic priest .
The pillars of father's preaching are basically:
Love for and a relationship with the Blessed Virgin Mary 
Leading a vibrant and loving relationship with Jesus Christ
Great love and reverence for the Most Holy Eucharist from Holy Mass to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
An uncompromising love for and obedience to the Holy Father and the teaching of the Magisterium of the Church


God Bless you on your journey Father John Corapi


Records on life of Father Flanagan, founder of Boys Town, presented at Vatican
Jul 23, 2019 - 03:01 am .- The cause for canonization of Servant of God Edward Flanagan, the priest who founded Nebraska's Boys Town community for orphans and other boys, advanced Monday with the presentation of a summary of records on his life.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen to be beatified
Jul 6, 2019 - 04:00 am .- Pope Francis approved the miracle attributed to Archbishop Fulton Sheen Friday, making possible the American television catechist's beatification.

Brooklyn diocese advances sainthood cause of local priest
Jun 25, 2019 - 03:01 am .- The Bishop of Brooklyn accepted last week the findings of a nine-year diocesan investigation into the life of Monsignor Bernard John Quinn, known for fighting bigotry and serving the African American population, as part of his cause for canonization.

Fr. Augustus Tolton, former African American slave, advances toward sainthood
Jun 12, 2019 - 05:03 am .- Fr. Augustus Tolton advanced along the path to sainthood Wednesday, making the runaway slave-turned-priest one step closer to being the first black American saint.

Pope Francis will beatify these martyred Greek-Catholic bishops in Romania
May 30, 2019 - 03:01 pm .- On Sunday in Blaj, Pope Francis will beatify seven Greek-Catholic bishops of Romania who were killed by the communist regime between 1950 and 1970.
 
Woman who served Brazil’s poorest to be canonized
May 14, 2019 - 06:53 am .- Pope Francis Tuesday gave his approval for eight sainthood causes to proceed, including that of Bl. Dulce Lopes Pontes, a 20th-century religious sister who served Brazil’s poor.

Seven 20th-century Romanian bishops declared martyrs
Mar 19, 2019 - 12:01 pm .- Pope Francis declared Tuesday the martyrdom of seven Greek-Catholic bishops killed by the communist regime in Romania in the mid-20th century.

Pope advances sainthood causes of 17 women
Jan 15, 2019 - 11:12 am .- Pope Francis approved Tuesday the next step in the canonization causes of 17 women from four countries, including the martyrdom of 14 religious sisters killed in Spain at the start of the Spanish Civil War.
 
Nineteen Algerian martyrs beatified
Dec 10, 2018 - 03:08 pm .- Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, were beatified Saturday during a Mass in Oran.

The Algerian martyrs shed their blood for Christ, pope says
Dec 7, 2018 - 10:02 am .- Ahead of the beatification Saturday of Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, Pope Francis said martyrs have a special place in the Church.
Algerian martyrs are models for the Church, archbishop says
Nov 16, 2018 - 03:01 am .- Archbishop Paul Desfarges of Algiers has said that Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, are “models for our lives as disciples today and tomorrow.”
 
Francesco Spinelli to be canonized after healing of a newborn in DR Congo
Oct 9, 2018 - 05:01 pm .- Among those being canonized on Sunday are Fr. Franceso Spinelli, a diocesan priest through whose intercession a newborn was saved from death in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Algerian martyrs to be beatified in December
Sep 14, 2018 - 06:01 pm .- The Algerian bishops' conference has announced that the beatification of Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in the country between 1994 and 1996, will be held Dec. 8.

Now a cardinal, Giovanni Angelo Becciu heads to congregation for saints' causes
Jun 28, 2018 - 11:41 am .- Newly-minted Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu will resign from his post as substitute of the Secretariat of State tomorrow, in anticipation of his appointment as prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints later this summer.

Pope Francis creates new path to beatification under ‘offering of life’
Jul 11, 2017 - 06:22 am .- On Tuesday Pope Francis declared a new category of Christian life suitable for consideration of beatification called “offering of life” – in which a person has died prematurely through an offering of their life for love of God and neighbor.
 
Twentieth century Polish nurse among causes advancing toward sainthood
Jul 7, 2017 - 06:14 am .- Pope Francis on Friday approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Hanna Chrzanowska, a Polish nurse and nursing instructor who died from cancer in 1973, paving the way for her beatification.
 
Sainthood causes advance, including layman who resisted fascism
Jun 17, 2017 - 09:22 am .- Pope Francis on Friday recognized the heroic virtue of six persons on the path to canonization, as well as the martyrdom of an Italian man who died from injuries of a beating he received while imprisoned in a concentration camp for resisting fascism.
 
Solanus Casey, Cardinal Van Thuan among those advanced toward sainthood
May 4, 2017 - 10:47 am .- Pope Francis on Thursday approved decrees of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints advancing the causes for canonization of 12 individuals, including the American-born Capuchin Solanus Casey and the Vietnamese cardinal Francis Xavier Nguen Van Thuan.
 
Pope clears way for canonization of Fatima visionaries
Mar 23, 2017 - 06:44 am .- On Thursday Pope Francis approved the second and final miracle needed to canonize Blessed Francisco and Jacinta Marto, two of the shepherd children who witnessed the Fatima Marian apparitions.
Surgeon and father among sainthood causes moving forward
Feb 27, 2017 - 11:03 am .- Pope Francis recognized on Monday the heroic virtue of eight persons on the path to canonization, including an Italian surgeon and father of eight who suffered from several painful diseases throughout his life.

Records on life of Father Flanagan, founder of Boys Town, presented at Vatican
Jul 23, 2019 - 03:01 am .- The cause for canonization of Servant of God Edward Flanagan, the priest who founded Nebraska's Boys Town community for orphans and other boys, advanced Monday with the presentation of a summary of records on his life.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen to be beatified
Jul 6, 2019 - 04:00 am .- Pope Francis approved the miracle attributed to Archbishop Fulton Sheen Friday, making possible the American television catechist's beatification.

Brooklyn diocese advances sainthood cause of local priest
Jun 25, 2019 - 03:01 am .- The Bishop of Brooklyn accepted last week the findings of a nine-year diocesan investigation into the life of Monsignor Bernard John Quinn, known for fighting bigotry and serving the African American population, as part of his cause for canonization.

Fr. Augustus Tolton, former African American slave, advances toward sainthood
Jun 12, 2019 - 05:03 am .- Fr. Augustus Tolton advanced along the path to sainthood Wednesday, making the runaway slave-turned-priest one step closer to being the first black American saint.

Pope Francis will beatify these martyred Greek-Catholic bishops in Romania
May 30, 2019 - 03:01 pm .- On Sunday in Blaj, Pope Francis will beatify seven Greek-Catholic bishops of Romania who were killed by the communist regime between 1950 and 1970.
 
Woman who served Brazil’s poorest to be canonized
May 14, 2019 - 06:53 am .- Pope Francis Tuesday gave his approval for eight sainthood causes to proceed, including that of Bl. Dulce Lopes Pontes, a 20th-century religious sister who served Brazil’s poor.

Seven 20th-century Romanian bishops declared martyrs
Mar 19, 2019 - 12:01 pm .- Pope Francis declared Tuesday the martyrdom of seven Greek-Catholic bishops killed by the communist regime in Romania in the mid-20th century.

Pope advances sainthood causes of 17 women
Jan 15, 2019 - 11:12 am .- Pope Francis approved Tuesday the next step in the canonization causes of 17 women from four countries, including the martyrdom of 14 religious sisters killed in Spain at the start of the Spanish Civil War.
 
Nineteen Algerian martyrs beatified
Dec 10, 2018 - 03:08 pm .- Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, were beatified Saturday during a Mass in Oran.

The Algerian martyrs shed their blood for Christ, pope says
Dec 7, 2018 - 10:02 am .- Ahead of the beatification Saturday of Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, Pope Francis said martyrs have a special place in the Church.
Algerian martyrs are models for the Church, archbishop says
Nov 16, 2018 - 03:01 am .- Archbishop Paul Desfarges of Algiers has said that Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, are “models for our lives as disciples today and tomorrow.”
 
Francesco Spinelli to be canonized after healing of a newborn in DR Congo
Oct 9, 2018 - 05:01 pm .- Among those being canonized on Sunday are Fr. Franceso Spinelli, a diocesan priest through whose intercession a newborn was saved from death in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Algerian martyrs to be beatified in December
Sep 14, 2018 - 06:01 pm .- The Algerian bishops' conference has announced that the beatification of Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in the country between 1994 and 1996, will be held Dec. 8.

Now a cardinal, Giovanni Angelo Becciu heads to congregation for saints' causes
Jun 28, 2018 - 11:41 am .- Newly-minted Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu will resign from his post as substitute of the Secretariat of State tomorrow, in anticipation of his appointment as prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints later this summer.

Pope Francis creates new path to beatification under ‘offering of life’
Jul 11, 2017 - 06:22 am .- On Tuesday Pope Francis declared a new category of Christian life suitable for consideration of beatification called “offering of life” – in which a person has died prematurely through an offering of their life for love of God and neighbor.
 
Twentieth century Polish nurse among causes advancing toward sainthood
Jul 7, 2017 - 06:14 am .- Pope Francis on Friday approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Hanna Chrzanowska, a Polish nurse and nursing instructor who died from cancer in 1973, paving the way for her beatification.
 
Sainthood causes advance, including layman who resisted fascism
Jun 17, 2017 - 09:22 am .- Pope Francis on Friday recognized the heroic virtue of six persons on the path to canonization, as well as the martyrdom of an Italian man who died from injuries of a beating he received while imprisoned in a concentration camp for resisting fascism.
 
Solanus Casey, Cardinal Van Thuan among those advanced toward sainthood
May 4, 2017 - 10:47 am .- Pope Francis on Thursday approved decrees of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints advancing the causes for canonization of 12 individuals, including the American-born Capuchin Solanus Casey and the Vietnamese cardinal Francis Xavier Nguen Van Thuan.
 
Pope clears way for canonization of Fatima visionaries
Mar 23, 2017 - 06:44 am .- On Thursday Pope Francis approved the second and final miracle needed to canonize Blessed Francisco and Jacinta Marto, two of the shepherd children who witnessed the Fatima Marian apparitions.
Surgeon and father among sainthood causes moving forward
Feb 27, 2017 - 11:03 am .- Pope Francis recognized on Monday the heroic virtue of eight persons on the path to canonization, including an Italian surgeon and father of eight who suffered from several painful diseases throughout his life.

8 Martyrs Move Closer to Sainthood 8 July, 2016
Posted by ZENIT Staff on 8 July, 2016

The angel appears to Saint Monica
This morning, Pope Francis received Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Angelo Amato. During the audience, he authorized the promulgation of decrees concerning the following causes:

***
MIRACLES:
Miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God Luis Antonio Rosa Ormières, priest and founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Guardian Angel; born July 4, 1809 and died on Jan. 16, 1890
MARTYRDOM:
Servants of God Antonio Arribas Hortigüela and 6 Companions, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart; killed in hatred of the Faith, Sept. 29, 1936
Servant of God Josef Mayr-Nusser, a layman; killed in hatred of the Faith, Feb. 24, 1945
HEROIC VIRTUE:

Servant of God Alfonse Gallegos of the Order of Augustinian Recollects, Titular Bishop of Sasabe, auxiliary of Sacramento; born Feb. 20, 1931 and died Oct. 6, 1991
Servant of God Rafael Sánchez García, diocesan priest; born June 14, 1911 and died on Aug. 8, 1973
Servant of God Andrés García Acosta, professed layman of the Order of Friars Minor; born Jan. 10, 1800 and died Jan. 14, 1853
Servant of God Joseph Marchetti, professed priest of the Congregation of the Missionaries of St. Charles; born Oct. 3, 1869 and died Dec. 14, 1896
Servant of God Giacomo Viale, professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor, pastor of Bordighera; born Feb. 28, 1830 and died April 16, 1912
Servant of God Maria Pia of the Cross (née Maddalena Notari), foundress of the Congregation of Crucified Sisters Adorers of the Eucharist; born Dec. 2, 1847 and died on July 1, 1919
Sunday, November 23 2014 Six to Be Canonized on Feast of Christ the King.

On the List Are Lay Founder of a Hospital and Eastern Catholic Religious
VATICAN CITY, June 12, 2014 (Zenit.org) - Today, the Vatican announced that during the celebration of the feast of Christ the King on Sunday, November 23, an ordinary public consistory will be held for the canonization of the following six blesseds, who include a lay founder of a hospital for the poor, founders of religious orders, and two members of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See:
-Giovanni Antonio Farina (1803-1888), an Italian bishop who founded the Institute of the Sisters Teachers of Saint Dorothy, Daughters of the Sacred Hearts
-Kuriakose Elias Chavara (1805-1871), a Syro-Malabar priest in India who founded the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate
-Ludovico of Casoria (1814-1885), an Italian Franciscan priest who founded the Gray Sisters of St. Elizabeth
-Nicola Saggio (Nicola da Longobardi, 1650-1709), an Italian oblate of the Order of Minims
-Euphrasia Eluvathingal (1877-1952), an Indian Carmelite of the Syro-Malabar Church
-Amato Ronconi (1238-1304), an Italian, Third Order Franciscan who founded a hospital for poor pilgrims

CAUSES OF SAINTS July 2015.
Pope Recognizes Heroic Virtues of Ukrainian Archbishop
Recognition Brings Metropolitan Archbishop Andrey Sheptytsky Closer to Beatification
By Junno Arocho Esteves Rome, July 17, 2015 (ZENIT.org)
Pope Francis recognized the heroic virtues of Ukrainian Greek Catholic Archbishop Andrey Sheptytsky. According to a communique released by the Holy See Press Office, the Holy Father met this morning with Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

The Pope also recognized the heroic virtues of several religious/lay men and women from Italy, Spain, France & Mexico.
Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky is considered to be one of the most influential 20th century figures in the history of the Ukrainian Church.
Enthroned as Metropolitan of Lviv in 1901, Archbishop Sheptytsky was arrested shortly after the outbreak of World War I in 1914 by the Russians. After his imprisonment in several prisons in Russia and the Ukraine, the Archbishop was released in 1918.

The Ukrainian Greek Catholic prelate was also an ardent supporter of the Jewish community in Ukraine, going so far as to learn Hebrew to better communicate with them. He also was a vocal protestor against atrocities committed by the Nazis, evidenced in his pastoral letter, "Thou Shalt Not Kill." He was also known to harbor thousands of Jews in his residence and in Greek Catholic monasteries.
Following his death in 1944, his cause for canonization was opened in 1958.
* * *
The Holy Father authorized the Congregation to promulgate the following decrees regarding the heroic virtues of:
- Servant of God Andrey Sheptytsky, O.S.B.M., major archbishop of Leopolis of the Ukrainians, metropolitan of Halyc (1865-1944);
- Servant of God Giuseppe Carraro, Bishop of Verona, Italy (1899-1980);
- Servant of God Agustin Ramirez Barba, Mexican diocesan priest and founder of the Servants of the Lord of Mercy (1881-1967);
- Servant of God Simpliciano della Nativita (ne Aniello Francesco Saverio Maresca), Italian professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor, founder of the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Hearts (1827-1898);
- Servant of God Maria del Refugio Aguilar y Torres del Cancino, Mexican founder of the Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament (1866-1937);
- Servant of God Marie-Charlotte Dupouy Bordes (Marie-Teresa), French professed religious of the Society of the Religious of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (1873-1953);
- Servant of God Elisa Miceli, Italian founder of the Rural Catechist Sisters of the Sacred Heart (1904-1976);
- Servant of God Isabel Mendez Herrero (Isabel of Mary Immaculate), Spanish professed nun of the Servants of St. Joseph (1924-1953)
October 01, 2015 Vatican City, Pope Authorizes following Decrees
(ZENIT.org) By Staff Reporter
Polish Layperson Recognized as Servant of God
Pope Authorizes Decrees
Pope Francis on Wednesday authorised the Congregation for Saints' Causes to promulgate the following decrees:

MARTYRDOM
- Servant of God Valentin Palencia Marquina, Spanish diocesan priest, killed in hatred of the faith in Suances, Spain in 1937;

HEROIC VIRTUES
- Servant of God Giovanni Folci, Italian diocesan priest and founder of the Opera Divin Prigioniero (1890-1963);
- Servant of God Franciszek Blachnicki, Polish diocesan priest (1921-1987);
- Servant of God Jose Rivera Ramirez, Spanish diocesan priest (1925-1991);
- Servant of God Juan Manuel Martín del Campo, Mexican diocesan priest (1917-1996);
- Servant of God Antonio Filomeno Maria Losito, Italian professed priest of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (1838-1917);
- Servant of God Maria Benedetta Giuseppa Frey (nee Ersilia Penelope), Italian professed nun of the Cistercian Order (1836-1913);
- Servant of God Hanna Chrzanowska, Polish layperson, Oblate of the Ursulines of St. Benedict (1902-1973).
March 06 2016 MIRACLES authorised the Congregation to promulgate the following decrees:
Pope Francis received in a private audience Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, during which he authorised the Congregation to promulgate the following decrees:
MIRACLES

– Blessed Manuel González García, bishop of Palencia, Spain, founder of the Eucharistic Missionaries of Nazareth (1877-1940);
– Blessed Elisabeth of the Trinity (née Elisabeth Catez), French professed religious of the Order of Discalced Carmelites (1880-1906);
– Venerable Servant of God Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus (né Henri Grialou), French professed priest of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, founder of the Secular Institute “Notre-Dame de Vie” (1894-1967);
– Venerable Servant of God María Antonia of St. Joseph (née María Antonio de Paz y Figueroa), Argentine founder of the Beaterio of the Spiritual Exercise of Buenos Aires (1730-1799);
HEROIC VIRTUE

– Servant of God Stefano Ferrando, Italian professed priest of the Salesians, bishop of Shillong, India, founder of the Congregation of Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians (1895-1978);
– Servant of God Enrico Battista Stanislao Verjus, Italian professed priest of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, coadjutor of the apostolic vicariate of New Guinea (1860-1892);
– Servant of God Giovanni Battista Quilici, Italian diocesan priest, founder of the Congregation of the Daughters of the Crucified (1791-1844);
– Servant of God Bernardo Mattio, Italian diocesan priest (1845-1914);
– Servant of God Quirico Pignalberi, Italian professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual (1891-1982);
– Servant of God Teodora Campostrini, Italian founder of the Minim Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Sorrows (1788-1860);
– Servant of God Bianca Piccolomini Clementini, Italian founder of the Company of St. Angela Merici di Siena (1875-1959);
– Servant of God María Nieves of the Holy Family (née María Nieves Sánchez y Fernández), Spanish professed religious of the Daughters of Mary of the Pious Schools (1900-1978).

April 26 2016 MIRACLES authorised the Congregation to promulgate the following decrees:
Here is the full list of decrees approved by the Pope:

MIRACLES
– Blessed Alfonso Maria Fusco, diocesan priest and founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. John the Baptist (1839-1910);
– Venerable Servant of God John Sullivan, professed priest of the Society of Jesus (1861-1933);
MARTYRDOM
– Servants of God Nikolle Vinçenc Prennushi, O.F.M., archbishop of Durres, Albania, and 37 companions killed between 1945 and 1974;
– Servants of God José Antón Gómez and three companions of the Benedictines of Madrid, Spain, killed 1936;
HEROIC VIRTUES
– Servant of God Thomas Choe Yang-Eop, diocesan priest (1821-1861);
– Servant of God Sosio Del Prete (né Vincenzo), professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor, founder of the Congregation of the Little Servants of Christ the King (1885-1952);
– Servant of God Wenanty Katarzyniec (né Jósef), professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual (1889-1921);
– Servant of God Maria Consiglia of the Holy Spirity (née Emilia Paqualina Addatis), founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Addolorata, Servants of Mary (1845-1900);
– Servant of God Maria of the Incarnation (née Caterina Carrasco Tenorio), founder of the Congregation of the Franciscan Tertiary Sisters of the Flock of Mary (1840-1917);
– Servant of God , founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Family of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (1851-1923);
– Servant of God Ilia Corsaro, founder of the Congregation of the Little Missionaries of the Eucharist (1897-1977);
– Servant of God Maria Montserrat Grases García, layperson of the Personal Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei (1941-1959).
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